Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I meet lots of interesting people every day. However, sometimes I just can’t wrap my head around the way people act when they arrive at a restaurant. So, I figured I would explain a few things about what it’s like being a hostess as well as what to avoid doing.
First off, I am here to greet you and find the appropriate place to seat you and your party. When you are at our restaurant, you are our guest and we will do everything in our power to accommodate you to the best of our abilities.
I am not a server though, so when I seat you, I hand you menus and rolled silverware then I go back to my station at the front of the restaurant to greet the next guest. If we are busy, I might take your drink order but that is unlikely. So, no, I literally cannot take your order… the server is on their way to your table.
Another thing, if you have specific requests about your seating arrangements, let us know! We are here to help you. It is frustrating when we walk you to a table and right as you arrive, you state that you want to sit on the opposite side of the restaurant.
Side note: Just because there is an open table, doesn’t mean it is an open section of the restaurant, especially if it is the middle of the day when a shift change is happening. Don’t try to argue with me about this. Honestly, if you really wanted to, you could sit there. You just probably won’t get any service because no one would be there to serve you.
If there is a wait time for a seat in the restaurant and you want a table or booth specifically, make that known when you check in. If you don’t, it isn’t fair to the hostess’ and fellow guests if you throw a fit when you aren’t pleased with your seating arrangement. We seat whatever is available first.
Speaking of throwing a fit, If you would like to speak to a manager, I would be happy to ask one to come up to the host station. I just want it to be known that I have no authority whatsoever. Some people don’t understand that. I’ve had people yell in my face because they were mad that their party of 20 had to wait to be seated while I could seat a party of 3 right away. Planning on where to accommodate 20 people takes a bit of time, so patience is key! If you would let me do my job, everything will run smoothly.
Like I stated at the beginning, I love my job! But if it wasn’t for the nice people that outshine the negative ones, I would have lost my sanity by now.